Tony's Heart Crys Out
by BethanyTittle
Summary: After Tony is betrayed by his own body, he ends up giving away the secret that he holds so dear to his heart, only to be put to the test. When Clint finds out about Tony's true feelings toward Steve, which he refuses to act on, he challenges him for his own good. The winner, gets Cap's heart.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is the first fanfiction I've ever written, so Id very much appreciate any and all reviews and critiques of my work. I wrote this with the intent of writing additional chapters, but Id like to see how this beginning is recieved. I look forward to any comments! Thanks!**

Note: I do not own any of these characters, Marvel Comics story line and plot minipulation is written by me, with these barrowed characters.

Chapter 1:

"What do you think you're doing!?" Tony shouts as he rushes forward to stop a catastrophe in the making.

"I think that I'm making a sandwich, or is that not okay with you?" said Steve, as he was about to put some organically grown lettuce on his two pieces of rye bread, already slathered with homemade hummus.

"You call that a sandwich?!" Tony said, absolutely appalled.

"You know, it is possible to eat something good for yourself every now and again."

"Well excuse me for enjoying what actually tastes good." Tony scoffs.

"If you'd just give my food a try, I'm sure you'd like some of it just as much, if not more."

Steve continued to layer his sandwich with free-range raised chicken, home grown tomatoes, and onions he grew himself in the indoor garden room Tony designed for him on one of the top most floors of the Stark Tower. Tony stared at the sandwich Steve continued to make with utter disgust, and decided that he may very well have created a monster by allowing him that indoor garden. However would he forgive himself? Not that he had ever had it in himself to ever deny Steve anything in the first place.

Tony was in it deep when it came to Steve, and if push came to shove, he'd probably even eat nasty health food if it made Steve happy, not that he'd enjoy a second of it. Hopefully it never came to that though, Tony thought, because he really did enjoy his junk food. The worst part was though, that Tony was pretty sure this was just the start of it. Once Tony had invited all of the Avengers to come live at Stark Tower with him (which was merely a way to get him and Steve to live under the same roof), Steve had begun to convert all of the rest of them to health freaks, beginning with Natasha and slowly working through the ranks. Thankfully Tony was not alone in his resistance quite yet though, as Thor enjoyed all the pleasantries of junk food as well, though Tony sensed his resolve was weakening against Steve's homemade pies.

Tony supposed it should have been foreseen that Captain America could bake a mean apple pie, whether it was made of all organic products or not. There's nothing more American than homemade apple pie.

After seeing the monstrosity that was being concocted in his very own kitchen, Tony hurried out of the kitchen, afraid that Steve would offer him a bite, being a bite he could not refuse, seeing as it came from Steve with his carefree smile and puppy dog eyes. Tony was sure that if Steve was to just ask the villains to stop being so mean and play nice with everyone, they'd be unable to say no to him.

Heading down to his work room, Tony goes straight for his stash of Twinkies. So stereotypical, he thinks to himself, but he can't help that he's fallen in love. After woofing down one, then another to distract himself from his feelings for Steve, he begins to tinker on some of his projects that have begun to clutter his work desk.

"Jarvis, turn on some heavy metal would you? I need to not think for a while."

"As you wish, sir." Jarvis replies before starting up some Black Sabbath.

As Tony works, he begins to notice a dull pain in his chest. Paying it no heed, he works on until his hands begin to fumble and he clasps on to his work table to steady himself. The pain in his chest has now spread to his arms and Tony isn't entirely sure what is going on anymore. He crumples to the ground and rolls to his side. Just as he begins to feel nauseas, he hears shouts coming from the direction of the doorway, though he's too weak to bother trying to look and see who's calling him.

"Tony! Tony, are you alright, what's happening!? Jarvis, quick, call an ambulance!"

Tony's too lost in the pain and nausea to really focus on what's happening . He feels too tired, and wonders when the last time he's slept is. He simply can't remember. Perhaps, Tony thinks to himself, he should try and sleep now. Sleep seems so inviting….

…

"…*groan*… no, no don't take him away…Steve…" Tony rolls around in his sleep, growing manic in his slumbering state.

"Tony, Tony wake up, I'm right here." Steve quickly stands up from the chair at Tony's bedside.

Slowly, and with much effort, Tony slowly wakes up and tries to make sense of his surroundings. He's in a foreign room, in a paper gown, with Steve and the rest of the Avengers in the room. Tony looks from face to face and tries to make sense of the situation.

"What's going on? Why am I here?"

"Well , it seems that you have suffered from a mild heart attack. During so, you seemed to have passed out from sleep deprivation as well. As a doctor, I have to say that it's incredible that you've lasted this long in this condition without any major incidents before this. That being said, I ask that you take your health into serious consideration from this point on. A man your age shouldn't be so capricious with your health, especially given your situation." The doctor says as he nods to Tony's Arc Reactor. He hadn't noticed the doctor in his inicial sweep of the room, but now that he had listened to what he had to say, he wished he wasn't there at all.

"I've had the pleasure of talking with your colleagues here, and they have agreed to help you in your recovery. Furthermore, Mr… umm, or well _Captian_ America has volunteered to help get you eating right." The doctor adds, officially ruining any hope Tony had of playing this off as a minor issue and returning to his life as before.

"Tony, don't you have anything to say? You sure did before you woke up." Clint says with that last bit under his breath causing Tony a brief moment of confusion. Natasha digs her elbow into Clint's side, making him take a quick inhale of breath.

The room all turns to Tony, eagerly awaiting what he has to say. As he sits there, he feels the truth sink in and watches as his life of glorious junk food and all nighters slips away…

"…Well shit."

….

After being discharged from the hospital, the troupe all head back to the tower, having had more than enough excitement for one day. After pulling up, they all pile out and head their separate directions, Tony making a beeline for his different food stashes, to ensure their safety.

"Well you really know how to steal the spotlight, Stark."

"Shut up, Clint." Tony's in no mood for his jabs. "I had a heart attack, which was inconvenience in itself, I don't need your harassment on top of my impending doom."

"Ah, it wasn't your heart attack I was talking about. Why, I had no idea before that you were in love with Cap." Clint quips as he turns around to face Tony, who's heading for the elevator.

Tony stops dead in his tracks. "What are you talking about, I have no idea what you're talking about. You have it all wrong, I'm not in love with Cap, that's… that's just… insane!" Tony rushes on in a panic.

"Wow, so it really is true… I was only guessing before, but there's no denying it now… Wow Stark, you're in deep too, aren't yah?" Clint just stares at the stock still Tony with his hawk eyes, watching as Stark tries to figure out how to get himself out of this one.

"I still have no idea what you're talking about." Tony says with as much serious calmness as he can muster. "What made you say such ludicrous things in the first place?"

Clint chuckles, "You started it. 'No, no don't take him away! Steve!'" he mocks while playacting a damsel calling out to her lover.

Tony's face goes white as a sheet as he recalls his dream from right before he awoke in the hospital. He remembers calling out to Steve as he was being taken away by black shrouded figures. No matter what he did, he couldn't go after him, so he had called out. That's the last thing he remembers before waking up to Cap reassuring him that he was right there… it all makes sense now…

"Sheesh man, calm down, it's fine, really. I mean, hell, if I would of known before, I'd have been doing my damndest to get you two together. About time you were serious about someone again, I mean, after Pepper dumping you and all…"

Tony hadn't paying much attention to what Clint had been saying as he'd gone into auto pilot to walk to his work room. How could he have been so careless as to shout out in his sleep with everyone around him. Who else knew? Did Steve?

This is enough to shock Tony out of his little daze. He immediately locks eyes with Clint and demands "No one else can know! Do you hear me, no one, especially Steve, can find out!"

"What? Dude, but why?!" Clint demands right back, being thrown off by Tony's sudden proclamation.

Tony looks down at the concrete floor of his work room, where he's built so many creations and made so many memories, where he's always felt safe and at home. He hesitates for a second more before finally replying, "Because he wouldn't understand. Steve comes from another time, a time where a relationship between men wasn't only a sin against God, but an action that was seen as an ultimate taboo. How can I ask him to love me, another man, when everything he knows and believes in tells him that it's wrong?..."

Tony walks away, feeling totally dejected and wanting to be alone. Clint watches as Tony walks over to one of his many unfinished projects and begins to tinker halfheartedly. He never knew that Tony had been harboring such intense feelings of both love and dejection… For a moment he was out of sorts, unsure what to do, until, in a mere second, it hits him.

"Tony, Steve isn't in that time anymore. He knows that, you know that, and you also know that he's taken it surprisingly well. How do you know he wouldn't be open to a relationship with you?" By now Clint's getting really fired up, "I think you're just scared." This stops Tony in his tracks. No one calls Iron Man, no correction, no one calls Tony Stark a coward and walks away from it alive. "I think you're just afraid you couldn't handle a man like Captian America. That you couldn't win him over if you tried. Coward!" Clint knows that he's provoking a bull in a china shop, but he can't help himself, he need Tony out of his self pity.

Tony turns to look at Clint. "Take it back. Take it back right now…"

"No." Clint won't back down, for Tony's own good. "I bet you I could get Steve to go out with me way before he'd ever go out with you! What do you think about that, Iron Man?"

Tony looks Clint dead in the eye and says, "You're on."

…


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: So I finished this chapter with the help of my friend Brit, whom I want to say thank you to for reading and rereading and commenting on what I should change. Thank you!**

Chapter 2:

"Sir," Jarvis chimes in, "Captain America is here to see you. Shall I let him in?"

"Yes, Jarvis. And I told you, just call him Steve." Tony replied rather annoyed at the interruption and anxious at meeting Cap now that he's forced to fight for him. He looks over at Clint to see a smug look across his face and all he wants to do is beat it off him. Steve walks into the room and ambles over to where Clint and Tony are standing.

"Alright Tony, your doctor said that you need to be eating better, and I've taken it upon myself to see that you do so. I have lunch set up upstairs in the main living room for everyone and I've already made a plate for you. I don't want to hear any complaining from you either. This is for your own good and you're going to do as I say or else… or else I'll…" Steve plows through his speech with steely resolve until he tries to make a threat Tony will surely fear.

Tony interrupts Steve before he lets his mind wonder on all the things Steve could "or else I'll" to him.

"Steve, I'm not going to fight you on this. I get it, I've been rather… let's say negligent, with my health, and it means a lot to me that you care enough to try and get me on the right path." Tony knows that he won't be able to win Cap's heart over by fighting him tooth and nail over food, so he swallows his pride and continues with "I'm willing to eat anything you put in front of me if it's for the betterment of my health."

Clint does his best not to burst out laughing, as he knows how much this has got to pain the poor guy, but love is love, and Clint can see that Tony has no intentions on losing this bet to him. Not that he's really interested in the Cap, as he's got Natasha, not that anyone knows _that_.

"Alright, well lets all head up, shall we?" Clint says, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

Tony immediately goes on guard. "Yes, lets."

…

"So Steve, what do you think about gay marriage?" Clint asks him, complete innocence on his face.

Tony chokes on the piece of cucumber he had been eating. Thor whacks him on the back and laughs as Tony's thrown forward.

"Why, Man of Iron, I've found it's best to not choke on one's food when trying to improve your health." Thor jokes.

"Yeah, I think I've heard that somewhere. I was just caught a little off guard. Just ignore me." Tony says, still trying to recover from the recent abuse.

Steve waits a second before answering to make sure Tony really is alright, to then continue with "Well, I don't see anything wrong with it personally. Love is love, and you should be able to marry anyone you choose. I may be old-fashioned in many ways, but I don't have such a closed mind as you might think." Steve says that last part with a bit of heat, as he's tired of everyone assuming they know how he feels and thinks because of when he was born.

For a while the table remains quiet. Steve looks around to see everyone staring. When He looks around from face to face and blushes when he makes eye contact Tony. During the silence, Natasha notices that Clint is staring at Tony with smug satisfaction. She wants to know what's going on.

Steve then quickly stands up and starts to take care of dishes. "Well anyways, I was thinking that, if you're all open to it, maybe we could play a hand or two of poker tonight?"

"What is this "poker" you refer to?" Thor says quizzically.

"It's a card game that involves betting and wagers. A man's game, Thor." Clint says in a comical tone.

"Alright, you can count on me. I shall win this game of cards!" Thor declares, thrusting his fist down on the table.

"Well hold on a second, we have to make this interesting first." Says Tony, finally breaking out of his daze to get back into the conversation. "We have to make it worth the winner's while. And the loser shouldn't get off too easy either."

Clint looks at Tony and laughs. "Alright, agreed. Loser has to spar with Natasha tomorrow on the mats."

"I withdraw my acceptance into this game of yours." Thor declares just as grandly.

"Too late big guy, you're in." It's Tony's turn to smack him on the back.

"Very well. Then I shall win with honor!" Thor shouts.

"As for the winner?" Natasha asks, interested in what the twist will be.

"How about the winner gets one favor from each player?" Clint stares down Tony.

Tony looks back without flinching and says "Deal."

"Whoa, wait guys, shouldn't we make some stipulations or parameters for this 'favor?'" Cap quick joins in.

"Scared are you, friend Steve? Do not worry, I shall not make your favor too embarrassing." Declares Thor.

Steve stands there a moment, looking like a fish out of water, unsure what to say that will actually sway any of them. Finally he agrees with an "Alright, but if this ends badly, I did try to warn you all."

Steve then turns around with the rest of the dishes and heads towards the kitchen.

"This should be interesting." Natasha says to herself before leaving the room.

…

"So you all know how the game goes. No cheating, no bribing, and the loser will have to spar with me tomorrow afternoon, no exceptions." Natasha lays out the rules for everyone to hear, grinning devilishly at the thought of taking one of them down in a sparring match. They all might have their own super powers, but she knew they all held a healthy fear of her and what she could do. "For the sake of honesty, I will be the dealer tonight, and any cheaters I catch, and I will catch you, will be rightfully punished."

That last comment sent a shiver down everyone's back. When Natasha starts to deal out cards, only Thor, Clint, Tony, and Steve are dealt in, leaving Bruce watching off to the side. His philosophy is to avoid fighting whenever possible, so he passed on the chance of sparring with Natasha. Her face had betrayed no emotion when hearing this, though they all assumed she was silently pleased.

"Alright, Tony, you start the betting." Said Natasha, and so the game began.

As the night went on, many things were evident. Tony and Clint were going at each other's throats, Steve was in the game for the enjoyment and camaraderie, and Thor grew louder and more hostile as he grew nearer and nearer to being the first out.

"I am Thor Odinson, God of Thunder! Fear for they lives when I say that I am "all in!" I shall reign victorious, for the fates have smiled upon me this hand. Jest as you will, for it will be your last!"

"Natasha, can you please take whatever Thor is drinking away from him? I think he's had enough." Tony says, mystified by the god's sheer intensity.

"I will win this hand for Asgard!" Thor shouts, thrusting his fist in the air and completely missing the fact that Natasha swiped out his glass for a cup of water.

"Alright, show your hands." Natasha says after dealing the last card.

"Three kings alike! Surely I have stricken thee all down with one swift final blow!" Thor cries aloud and jumps up.

"Whoa buddy, have to claim this one for my own actually. Full house beats a three of a kind in this game, sorry buck-o." Clint snickers as he rakes in the chips.

"You dare rival me, Thor Odinson!? Mjolnir, Come to me!" Thor thrusts out his hand and catches the hammer that just flew through one of Tony's inner walls.

Tony stands up and shouts "Thor, I swear, you do that one more time, and I'll sick the Hulk on you!"

"Whoa, hey, leave me out of this!" Bruce interjects.

"You dare threaten me, Man of Iron?! You shall fear the mighty wrath of Thor!"

"Both of you, sit down now." Natasha looks both Thor and Tony in the eyes, making Thor lose all the anger he had had a second ago, and causing him to sit down immediately, completely cowed. Tony takes his seat like nothing has happened, as it is not the first time he's been threatened by Natasha, and surely it won't be the last.

"Wow, that… that escalated fast…" Steve says in the sudden silence.

Natasha begins to deal out the next hand. "I'll expect you on the sparring mats tomorrow at two, Thor."

Thor looks down, completely dejected. "I shall meet you there, Lady Natasha, as is my due."

The game goes on for a while more until finally Steve is the next one out, and Tony and Clint are neck in neck. Natasha deals the next hand and tells Tony to start the betting. He locks eyes with Tony as they stare each other down.

"I'm all in." Tony says.

"I match." Clint won't give in that easy.

"All right, I'll deal the board. Whoever wins this gets a favor from each player, as was agreed upon before the game." Natasha states.

She begins to lay the cards down. Queen of spades, three of clubs, ace of spades. Burn card. Ten of spades. Burn card. Ace of diamonds.

"Alright ladies, lay down."

Tony gives a little snicker before laying down his hand. In his hand he had the Ace of hearts and the Ace of clubs. "Four of a kind." He tells Clint, sure that he's won.

"That's really good Tony, really very good. But it doesn't beat a royal flush." He says before laying down the king and jack of spades.

Tony's smile gets completely wiped off his face. He lost. He lost to Clint and now he doesn't get that one favor from Steve. Clint does. The anger wells up in Tony; anger at himself, anger at what Clint will ask of Steve, anger at the thought of losing him. Tony can barely contain himself, but he knows he has to in front of his friends. A temper tantrum in this case would be rather hard to explain.

"Hey Steve?" Clint asks.

"Yeah?"

"For my one favor…" Clint locks eyes with Tony and see the anger burning. "I want you to go to go on a date… With Tony."

The whole room goes completely silent as they try to process what he just said. Tony's face is totally void of all emotion. He doesn't know what Clint's angle is. Does he plan to sabotage their date so that Cap won't ever give him another try?

"…You want me to go on a date? With Tony?" Steve asks, completely confused. The room is completely silent for another moment before Tony speaks up.

"Forget about it Steve. He can't force you to do something you don't want to." Tony says, hurt more than he'd like to admit by Steve's words. Tony then stands up and walks out of the room before anyone can stop him or ask him any questions. He walks down to his work room, his sanctuary, for some peace and quiet.

"Jarvis, don't let anyone in." Tony gripes.

"Yes sir, as you wish." Jarvis replies in a mannerly fashion.

Tony knew what he was getting himself into when he agreed to this deal, even if he agreed to it in a moment of blind anger. He knew what he was saying, but he never knew that rejection would ever hurt this bad. Even when things ended with Pepper, it was never this bad. Then, this afternoon, he'd been given a small flicker of hope, only for it to turn into the dagger that stabbed him in the back.

Tony walks over to his work bench and sits down. "Jarvis, put on some music. I need to not think again."

"Yes Sir." He replies once again.

Tony wants to not think and to not feel. Even with music blaring though, it's hard for him to clear his mind. Why'd he agree to get himself into this mess? He should have known it would end this way.

"Sir?" Jarvis tones in.

"What?!" Tony snaps at him.

"It appears Steve is here to see you. I haven't let him in as you've instructed, but he seems quite persistent. He says he refuses to leave until you see him." Jarvis replies, unaffected as ever by Tony's anger.

Tony looks over at his door to see Steve waiting to be let in. He can tell that he'll hold true to his threat not to leave. Still, Tony hesitates before finally consenting.

"Fine, let him in. And turn off the music, I suppose." This… is going to be hell, Tony thinks to himself.

…


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Thank you to anyone reading this story! I've gotten several emails telling me that people are following this story and it's inspiring me to keep with it and write more! Thank you! And again, please comment and feel free to critique my work. Like I said, this is the first fanfic I've ever written, so I know it can probably use some work. I really enjoy writing this for everyone to read and hope you enjoy it to! Thank you for your support!**

Chapter 3:

"No, Steve," Tony interrupts, "It was totally out of line for Clint to say that. I have no idea where he got the idea to ask that of you. It's ludicrous." Tony's lying through his teeth, trying his best reassure Steve so as not to ruin their friendship.

"Oh, right…. I was just coming to see if you were alright. And, I mean, I really don't mind if we go out. To fulfill the favor, that is! We can just call it a date to, like… fulfill the favor…" He ends lamely.

Tony takes the hesitation in Steve's voice as embarrassment, thinking he's only offering because he agreed to a favor and he has all intentions of honoring his word. Tony wants to refuse to go, but he doesn't want to cost Cap his word. Tony takes a moment to accept that he may have to hurt himself to save from hurting Steve, and he knows that Cap values his word. Tony can't let him down.

"Sure Steve, I'll go out with you. We both agreed to a favor, so let's kill two birds with one stone." Tony does his best to look at ease, while inside he's falling into a pit of despair.

"Thanks Tony… I guess I'll see you tomorrow, say at seven?" Steve says, with a slight blush on his cheeks.

Tony hates that he's causing him this much embarrassment. He won't let Clint get away with this. And of course he's embarrassed, Tony thinks, he's being forced to go out on a date with a guy! Just because he believes in gay marriage doesn't mean he's gay. Snap out of it Tony!

Tony spends the next couple hours working away at his desk before he's interrupted by Jarvis. No one's going to let him get away with another all-nighter anytime soon is the vibe that he's getting. Tony tinkers for a minute more, then, after a visit from Natasha, he finally packed it up for the night and went to bed.

Still, Tony tossed and turned all night, trying to sleep when sleep eluded him. Things kept racing across his mind, about how Clint tricked Steve into a date with him, wondering why he would do that, reliving the moment when Steve agreed to go out. Tony can't help but look forward to their date, even though he knows it's not a real date. He knows he shouldn't but he can't help getting his hopes up.

Finally, the sun began to rise and Tony crawled out of bed. After such a sleepless night, he'd kill someone for a cup of coffee. He climbs out of his bed and throws on some clothes. When he manages to drag himself to the kitchen, he gropes blindly at the coffee pot.

"Sorry, I haven't had the chance to make any yet. Usually you're not up until around noon." Steve says from behind him.

Tony turns around with a start. He hadn't even noticed that Steve was in the kitchen, or that the pot was empty. Tony swears under his breath about the lack of coffee and begins to search around for the coffee grounds.

"They're uh, they're over here." Steve says before reaching into a cabinet for the coffee. He then continues to grab a filter and fill the pot with water. Tony watches as Steve goes through the simple motions of making coffee and takes a moment to realize that Cap noticed his staring.

"Sorry." He mumbles, not having it in him to explain himself just yet. Tony can't bring himself to fully think without at least one cup of coffee, probably two with how his night went.

"So… umm, well if you give me twenty minutes or so, I can have your breakfast done. Studies say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that you should eat within an hour of waking up…" Steve babbles on with simple chatter, but Tony doesn't pay much attention. He's just watching the coffee pot as it fills the pot, slowly but surely.

Once there's enough for a cup, Tony grabs the pot before the machine is even done and fills his cup. Later he'd think to modify his coffee machine to stop automatically once the pot is taken out from under it. Steve just stares at Tony as he guzzles down piping hot coffee without so much as flinching.

"You know, coffee's not that great for you either." With that, Steve earns a glare from Tony. "I'm just saying that maybe you should limit your intake per day."

Tony holds up his finger as a way of telling Steve to wait as he pours another cup and drinks half of that in one swallow. When he puts it down, Tony looks Steve right in the eye.

"You don't want to see me without coffee." He says then turns away. "I'll be on the couch."

Steve watches him walk out of the kitchen and just chuckles to himself. You really don't come between that man and his coffee. Cap then gets out some eggs and the rest of the fixings for omelets. He reminded himself that he needs to check on his peppers and broccoli in the garden room once he was done making breakfast. He grabs a mixing bowl and cracked some eggs, all the while humming to a song he used to love.

…

"Alright Tony, breakfast is… done." Steve trails off when walks out of the kitchen to see Tony passed out on the couch. Steve stops for a moment to watch as Tony breaths in and out, looking totally at peace.

"He's cute when he's sleeping, isn't he?" Natasha says from behind Steve. Steve whips around, startled by Natasha's sudden appearance and embarrassed at being caught watching Tony sleep.

"I was just, I mean, breakfast is done and… I didn't know whether to wake him or not. He didn't seem to get much sleep last night... It's the weirdest thing. He came into the kitchen this morning, chugged a cup and a half of coffee, and then apparently lied down on the couch to take a nap." Steve looks back at Tony with wonderment. "The guy doesn't much a whole lot of sense…"

"That doesn't seem to stop you from liking him." She says matter-of-factly.

Steve once again whips his head back around to look at Natasha. "How… how did you know?"

"Come on Cap, I'm not stupid. Not to mention I am a trained spy who knows how to read people. Besides, it's not that hard to see." Natasha debates saying more, but decides it's best that he figure some of it out on his own. "If I recall correctly, you two have a date tonight. Good luck."

"Thanks…" Steve replies half heartedly, already back worrying about everything that could go wrong. After another moment of hesitation, he asks "Hey, Natasha?"

"Yeah?" she replies, curious as to what he'll ask.

"You don't… you don't think this date thing will mess up our friendship, do you?" Steve asks.

"Mess up, or improve?" She replies, hinting at him. "I think you're date will go fine. Just don't let him get all weird on you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Steve insists, lost as to why she would say that.

"Only what you want it to. Anyways, it looks like Sleeping Beauty is waking up. I'll help you grab the food and bring it to the table." Natasha says, easily avoiding going into more detail.

Tony groans from the couch and rolls over, only to wake up at the smell of food. Steve watches as he saunters over to the table now laden down with omelets, fresh fruit, juices, and a platter of wheat toast. Steve grabs his plate before Tony can and fills it with everything required for a healthy breakfast.

"Thanks Cap. I'm not eating those blueberries." Tony says as he watches him fill up his plate.

"Yes you are." Steve smarts back and smiles to himself. Tony wouldn't be Tony if he didn't fight back a little.

…

Tony wipes his palms on his pants again for the umpteenth time. As he looks himself over in the mirror, he can't decide whether or not he's made the right decision for his outfit. Suit or shirt? Dress slacks or jeans? Italian leather or beat up sneakers?

Maybe if Steve would have given him some vague idea on where they were going, or at the very least what they were doing, then he'd have a better handle on what to wear. Finally, after the eleventh outfit change, Tony settles on a sleek black pin stripe suit with simple black dress shoes. Steve wouldn't know that those shoes cost him $1,200.

Before he can change his mind, Tony walks out of his room and heads to the main living room where they agreed to meet. When he gets there, he sees that he's beat Steve, by some sort of miracle, and settles down on the couch to wait. After a couple minutes, he hears someone walk up. He stands and turns around to see Steve in the tailored suit he had arranged to have made for him as a Christmas gift. Boy was he glad he did.

Cap stood there in a slim fitting dark blue suit, cut to accentuate his sexy broad shoulders and impeccable biceps. Tony didn't realize he had been staring until he noticed Cap's awkward fidgeting. Tony quick looked away, trying to regain some of his cool.

"So, shall we go?" Tony said after a beat of awkward silence.

"Yeah, I'll just bring the car around." Steve answers, reaching for his keys in the bowl by the door.

"Alright, I'll meet you out front." Tony heads for the elevator, Steve a step behind him.

As they ride down, Tony tries to think of something to say. He wishes he was driving, but Steve insisted as the deal was for him to take out Tony. The whole ride down is a bit awkward, making Tony wish he would have made an excuse to catch the elevator after Steve had already went down, but it was too late now.

God, Tony thinks, if the whole night is going to be like this…. He shudders. Tony decides then and there that he can't let that happen. This night has to go perfectly, because, he realizes, he doesn't know when or if he'll ever get another shot. When the elevator arrives on the first floor, he gets out and walks towards the front door, while Cap rides it down to the basement, where the cars are stored.

Aside from his motorcycle, Steve acquired a black '67 Chevy Impala, saying that he preferred an older muscle car than the little toy cars Tony drives. Tony couldn't fully understand his resistance to his "toy cars," but he had to admit he knew how to pick a good vintage car. Tony's always had a soft spot for the older style Impalas.

After another moment, Tony realizes that he'd zoned out in the foyer, and quickly heads out the door, seeing that Steve has already pulled up from the garage. After a slight pep talk to himself, mostly mumbled, Tony climbs in the car.

"Alright Cap, where are we going?" He says, trying to keep his tone light, without any obvious signs of anxiety.

Steve looks over at Tony and says with a mischievous grin, "Crazy Tony, we're going crazy."

**Author's Note: When my family and I would go on road trips, my sibs and I would always bother my parents, constantly asking "Where are we going?" So they'd simply reply "We're going crazy." So, I have my parents to thank for Steve's brilliant (if I do say so myself) line of saying they're going crazy. Thank you Mumsy and Papi!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: As a reply to Joey, I am a multifandom girl, so, the Impala may, or may not have, been a reference to Supernatural. XD Just kidding, it totally was. Thanks for noticing Joey!**

Previously:

"Alright Cap, where are we going?" He says, trying to keep his tone light, without any obvious signs of anxiety.

Steve looks over at Tony and says with a mischievous grin, "Crazy Tony, we're going crazy."

Chapter 4:

Before Tony can stop it, he bursts out laughing, looking at Steve with absolute wonderment. Steve looks at him with a wicked grin spread across his face and a devilish glint in his eyes before stomping on the gas pedal and sending them soaring onto the road and towards the heart of the city.

Steve has the windows rolled down and Tony watches as the wind whips at his hair. In the spirit of going crazy, Tony turns the radio on to his favorite station, which begins to blast out some Kansas. Tony looks out the window and is surprised to see that he feels totally at ease.

"Crazy, huh? I thought we were already there." He shouts to Steve over the music.

This gets a laugh out of Steve and he reaches to turn the music down before replying, but Tony smacks his hand away from the dial.

"What's the point of going crazy if you can't yell over top of the music?" Tony once again shouts to Steve.

"Alright, have it your way!" Steve shouts back, turning the music up even louder.

Tony begins to sing along, prodding Steve with his elbow until he reluctantly begins to sings too. Tony knew he knew the words because he overheard him humming along to this very song in his work room.

"Carry on my wayward son! There'll be peace when you are done! Lay your weary head to rest, don't you cry no more!" They both begin to rock out to one of Tony's favorite guitar solos when Steve takes a right turn.

Tony's as curious as ever as to where they are going, but Steve's honestly managed to put him in too good of a mood for him to really care. He reclines his chair all the way back and lets the song, and the wind, wash over him, feeling totally content.

Before Tony knows it, they've stopped and Steve turns off the car, plummeting then into silence before Tony's ears adjust to the sounds around him. As he brings his chair back up, he recognizes the sounds of laughter and the soft lapping of the waves. He looks to his right to see bright, twinkling lights and a Ferris wheel. Tony stares, completely surprised, as he realizes that Steve has brought him to the harbor for the carnival.

Tony looks back at Steve and smiles. "Crazy, huh?" He laughs as he gets out of the car.

"I can't think of a better place to go crazy than a carnival, can you?" Steve replies, still grinning, more than a little giddy.

"Well I can think of a couple places, but none of them are as fun and family friendly." Tony jokes.

"Play nice, Tony." Steve chides, trying to be serious but ends up laughing anyways. "So what do you want to do first? There's the Ferris wheel, the carnival games, or you can get your fortune told a half a dozen different ways. Personally, I don't put much stock in the whole crystal ball thing, but hey, to each their own."

"Yeah, you've said that." Tony replies, turning to look at Steve with an inquisitive look. Does he know what he's saying, or what vibe he's sending off? Tony wonders.

Steve walks on, confused as to why Tony looked at him as if he'd said something peculiar. Steve decides to brush it off, as he doesn't want anything to weigh them down tonight, not when they were having such fun together. He steers them towards a booth selling masks and pays for two, telling Tony to pick one out.

"Why do we need these? Afraid someone's going to recognize me and try and steal me away?" Tony teases, just messing around.

"What if I am? You are my date tonight, after all." Steve shoots back, as he grabs a mask that looks like the face of a geisha.

For a moment Tony is at a loss for words. Is Steve flirting with him? Not in a million years did he see that coming. To buy him a little time to collect his thoughts, Tony grabs a mask at random and puts it on, saying "What do you think?"

"Well, I never figured you as a pink kind of person." Steve chuckles.

Tony quick takes off the mask to see that he's grabbed a princess mask designed for little girls. He quick puts it back as he feels his cheeks begin to burn. This time he takes a second to look before grabbing a mask that is the face of a dragon.

"Very fitting." Steve remarks, making a light jab.

"Yeah, same with you." Tony replies.

"Ha ha." Steve says before actually chuckling. "So what do you want to do now? It's totally up to you."

"How about the Ferris wheel? This way, when we get to the top, we can see what all this carnival offers. That way we don't miss anything before we leave." Tony tries to seem as innocent as possible with his reasoning, not letting his real motives slip. He knows that the chances of anything actually happening are zero to zip, but even being able to ride the Ferris wheel with Cap would be something he'd never forget.

"Sure, that sounds fun. You know, I haven't been on a Ferris wheel since… well, a very long time." Steve says, zoning out for a moment before he comes back to himself and walks in the general direction of the giant wheel.

"What's it been Cap? Eighty, Ninety years?" Tony asks, only half messing around. He really is curious.

"I haven't ridden on one since I was a sixteen or seventeen at the World's Fair. As I recall, Bucky was trying to set me up with this pretty little thing, but she only had eyes for him. All the girls had their eyes on Bucky though, so I can't really blame her." Steve recalls.

"Well then, we're going to have to change that, won't we?" Tony says as he grabs Cap's arm and drags him into line. "The Ferris ride I mean, not the girls. Pretty sure you already fixed that." Tony says, laughing and trying to not think of Cap with his shirt off.

"Yeah, I got that, I guess we will." Steve laughs too and goes along with Tony.

The line is remarkably short for the season and in no time at all they're seated next to each other on a red swinging metal bench. After a bar is brought down across their laps to keep them from falling out, Tony shifts awkwardly, very aware of how close Steve is.

"So, what's your favorite thing about a carnival, Cap?" Tony says, shifting awkwardly again, only to tip into Steve when the Ferris wheel gives a little jolt before gliding forward to let the next couple on.

Steve helps Tony correct himself while Tony looks away, afraid Cap will see him blush. Steve sits there a moment, thinking seriously about Tony's question. Tony peeks over at him, surprised by his sudden sobriety.

"I think that I'd have to say that my favorite part is getting to enjoy all of it with the people you care about." Steve answers honestly.

When he looks over at Tony, he begins to blush tremendously, quickly looking away. Steve starts to mentally scold himself for blushing so much as of late and worries that he's made Tony feel awkward. When he turns to Tony to apologize, he sees him starring out across the shore and realizes that they've made it to the top of the Ferris wheel. Tony slips off his mask to better look, and Steve decides to do the same.

"You know, I can fly around where ever I want, whenever I want, but for some reason, there's just something special about being at the top of a Ferris wheel." Tony sighs, drinking in the moment.

He turns to look at Steve, who is staring at him with a look of awe. Tony watches as that awe turns to something else that he doesn't quite have the time to register before Steve is leaning toward him. Tony, completely caught off guard, is frozen in place as Steve's lips meet his. Unlike anything Tony has ever experienced, their lips barely meet, more caressing than kissing, yet it steals Tony's breath away. Instead of the lustful and frenzied kisses or impassioned make out sessions, this meeting of lips sated more than Tony's physical yearning, but changed something inside of him completely.

As Steve leans back, he searches Tony's face for any indication as to how he's feeling. Tony's face gives nothing away as to what's going on inside of him besides a slight sense of surprise shining from his eyes. Steve opens his mouth to apologize, sure he just ruined one of the most important friendships he's ever had, when Tony grabs him and kisses him right back with such passion and ferocity that it takes him a several seconds before he even realizes just what is going on. When Tony finally does release him from their impassioned lip lock, they're both out of breath and panting.

They both take a couple moments just to stare at each other and try and figure out what exactly just happened. Steve opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out, as he's at a total loss as to what to say to Tony. Tony just sits there, staring at Steve, trying to figure out if he's dreaming or not, or what it was that he had felt change in him. But before either of them even noticed, the ride is over, and the metal bar is unlatched and they're asked to get off the ride. They both get up and stumble down the steps to the sidewalk.

"Hey! That's Captain America and Iron Man!" a little boy about the age of seven yells, standing in the middle of the side walk.

"Whoa! It really is them!" another boy exclaims, this one in his teens.

Before they know it, they are surrounded by admiring fan, blocking the exit of the ride. Both of them silently send of prayer of thanks that no one seems to have noticed their kiss, while at the same time, Tony's slightly pissed off that they forgot to put their masks back on before getting noticed.

For the next hour and a half, Tony and Steve slowly make their way to the parking lot and back to the car, the whole way taking pictures and signing autographs for admiring fans and fending off screaming fan girls. When they finally manage to make it to the car, they both climb in, absolutely drained, and just lean back in their seats as they try to get the energy to actually make their way back home.

"Masks were a good idea." Tony says, still leaning back in his seat, eye lids closed, exhausted.

"Thanks." Steve replies, dreading the thought of sitting upright and driving.

Tony waits another couple of moments before announcing "We are going to talk about it," he yawns, "just not tonight."

Steve stays lying back for a moment more before finally sitting up and putting the car in drive. "Agreed."

…

Steve pulls into the garage and looks over at Tony. Somehow he'd managed to fall asleep on the ride home. Cap waits a moment more before gently shaking Tony awake. At first, Tony's only reaction is to groan and try to roll over, but with a bit more nudging and promises of a bed, Tony finally climbs out of the car and heads for the elevator doors, Steve right behind him.

When the elevator doors open and they walk in, Jarvis tones in, "Sir, I believe there is something you and Steve would like to see. The rest of the Avengers are in the main living area watching it right now, would you like me to take you to them?"

"Sure." Tony grumbles, too groggy to really care what Jarvis is talking about, but convinced to go check it out since it must be important enough to get the attention of the rest of his roomies.

Steve tensed up at the thought of trouble, mentally preparing himself for whatever is to come, be it terrorists or alien alike. When the elevator doors finally open to their team huddled around the TV, Steve's sure that some calamity has struck close to home. And he was right.

"Wow Steve, I had no idea you were such a good kisser." Clint teases.

** "Gasp! What ever is going to happen?! How will they explain this to their friends, or more importantly, to each other?! Find out in the next chapter! Which will be posted... as soon as I'm done writing it... here in the nearish future..." *disappears into a mysterious fog* "I will not forsake you, friends!" she shouts before her words are completely swallowed up by a fog that quickly vanishes, along with all traces of her existence. Mwah ha ha ha ha!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: I'm sooo sorry that it has taken me this long to update. I got caught up in a bunch of stuff, along with some writers block, I just couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with this chapter, whether or not I wanted to end the story here... it was a bunch of crap all piled together. Anyways, here's the chapter. It's a little rushed, so please excuse any typos or whatnot, but I hope you like it, and definitely give me your feedback on it! And I just want to say thank you to all those that have favorited or followed this story!**

Previously:

Steve tensed up at the thought of trouble, mentally preparing himself for whatever is to come, be it terrorists or alien alike. When the elevator doors finally open to their team huddled around the TV, Steve's sure that some calamity has struck close to home. And he was right.

"Wow Steve, I had no idea you were such a good kisser." Clint teases.

Chapter 5:

Tony saunters out of the elevator, swaying more than a bit, "Were? He still is." Tony giggles before grabbing the frozen Steve by the hair and pulling him down for a smooch. Steve quickly pulls away, mortified by Tony's brazenness with cheeks as red as the stripes on his uniform.

Natasha walks over from her spot on a lounge chair and pinches Tony on the arm.

"Ow!" Tony groans "What the…? Shit! This isn't a dream, is it?" Tony finally begins to rouse from his daze and recalls what he's done. "Well… Got any bright ideas how to handle this Cap?" Tony mock whispers to him, though everyone in the room can hear them.

"Seeing how you just kissed me square on the lips in front of them, no, not really." Steve shoots back in an aggravated hushed tone.

"Oh you liked it and you know it." Tony jokes, moving on before Steve has the chance to spit fire at him. "So uh, what were you talking about Clint?" Tony says with faux innocence.

"Oh, you know, just the fact that your 'Ferris Wheel Fling' has ended up on every TV across America." Clint mimic's Tony's attitude.

"Wait, WHAT!? Someone saw!?" Shouts Steve, nearly in a panic.

Tony now notices Steve's distress and decided to put all joking aside.

"They more than just noticed," Clint chimes in, chipper as ever. "They caught it on video."

The group migrates back to the TV, Tony and Steve included, and settles down. With the furniture struggling to fit them all though, Tony offers Steve his chair, only to sit in his lap once Steve got comfortable.

"You don't mind, do you?" Tony whispers in his ear, more concerned with being close to Steve than what's really on the television screen.

Steve's cheeks being to pinken up again, but he shakes his head no, silently pleased that Tony chose his lap over the floor, even with everyone watching them.

"Earlier tonight, as one of our helicopter camera crews was heading back from a highway car chase, one lucky copilot noticed Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, better known as Captain America and Iron Man, atop the Ferris wheel at the New York Harbor Carnival. Little did they know that, not a minute after they started rolling the footage, they would catch the scandal of the season on tape…" The newscaster goes, detailing the kiss and showing the snippet of footage over and over again.

"Well, I don't see what the big fuss is. I'm sure I've been involved in bigger scandals before. Besides, all we did is kiss." Tony points out, not at all worried about what the world saw.

"All you did was kiss _Captain America_." Bruce points out, totally surprised by Tony's lack of concern. "He's like a major American icon that's supposed to stand for all of America's beliefs."

"Yeah, well I believe he has the right to choose what he wants for himself. Besides, gay rights is now an American belief, sort of…" Tony fires back.

"And I believe I'm right here." Steve speaks up. "But I have to agree with Tony. What I do on the battlefield is for America, but what I do, and who I do it with, off of the battlefield is my decision. If I decide…" Steve pauses a second to take a deep breath before going on, "…If I decide that I want to be with Tony, then I'm not going to let bias keep us apart." Steve looks at Tony, "And I'm not going to let publicity, good or bad, change my actions."

Tony just stares at Steve, forgetting about everyone else in the room but them. "You really mean it?" Tony whispers, still caught up by Steve saying that he'd want to be with him. Tony's almost too afraid to say it at all, almost too afraid to hear the answer, ALMOST.

Steve stares back into Tony's rich brown eyes. "I really do." He whispers back.

"Alright, I bail." Clint, along with the rest of the Avengers begin to clear out of the room.

"Clint," Tony calls before he's all the way out the door, never breaking eye contact with Steve. "Looks like I won the bet."

"Tony," Clint calls, making him look over, "I was never really in it to win." Clint says back before swooping Natasha into his arms and making a show of kissing her.

Tony laughs, instantly planning his revenge. "I'll get you back for this one Clint, just you wait."

"Oh, and before I forget… Tony, you still owe me a favor." Clint states.

"No, I went out on a date with Steve, remember? That was my 'favor.'" Tony replies, confused.

"No. I asked that of Steve, and only Steve. You still owe me a favor." Clint begins to walk away, Natasha still in his arms.

Once Clint is out of sight, Steve and Tony are completely alone. Tony realizes that he's still on Steve's lap, but he can't bring himself to care enough to move. Tony looks back down at Steve to see that he's getting a look of pure puzzlement.

"I'm lost Tony, what bet did you win?" Steve implores.

"Oh…" Tony forgot that Steve hadn't known about the bet. But of course he didn't know about the bet, that was the whole point, Tony chides himself. "Well, you see, Clint and I sort of made a bet. We were competing… to uh…" Tony's stumbling on his words, not really sure how to phrase it and unsure how Steve will react when he hears about it. "Well, we were competing to… win you over. You know, like who could go out with you first…" Tony stares at Cap's face, trying to see how he feels. After a moment, Tony rushes on, "I'm sorry, it was stupid. Clint just managed to guess my feelings for you, and then pissed me off by calling me a coward and betting that he could get you to go out with him before I ever could… I'm sorry, it was really stupid, and I should have known better. It's just it was right after my heart attack and Clint had heard me talking in my sleep at the hospital and guessed my feelings, like I said." Tony runs out of steam and just stares at Steve, again trying to see how he's taking this.

Steve stares at Tony for a few moments more before finally stating, "Tony, sometime you can be really mean." Tony goes to say something, but Steve cuts him off. "Why would you go into a bet with Clint when the odds were so obviously in your favor that the poor man didn't even stand a chance?" Steve finally cracks a smile when Tony just continues to stare at him. "You know, I heard you at the hospital too. What were you dreaming of anyway? Who was trying to take me away?"

It takes Tony a moment to reply, still shocked at what Steve was hinting at. "Wait, hold on, me first. Are you saying that you were crushing on me before this whole debacle started?"

Tony's still trying to wrap his head around it all when Steve quips, "Why else would a person willingly put up with you in the mornings?"

This finally brings Tony back to Earth as he retorts, "Must be love." Soon as the words are out of his mouth, Tony freezes and wishes he could take them back. He quick looks down at Cap, but instead of looking stunned or uncomfortable, he just laughs.

"Must be." He smiles up at Tony. Tony's once again at a loss for words. "That reminds me! What have you eaten today besides breakfast? How about we head to the kitchen and I whip you up something to eat?"

Steve stands up, lifting Tony off his lap and setting him on his feet. As Steve begins to walk away, a giant smile spreads across his face. "Wait for me, Cap!" Tony shouts, chasing after him and jumping on his back, screaming "Piggyback ride!"

Steve manages to catch Tony before they both fall to the floor and carries him on his back the rest of the way to the kitchen.

"You know what I want to know," Tony begins," I want to know how that sparring match went between Thor and Natasha."

Steve boosts Tony back up a little higher before replying. "I watched the whole thing actually. Natasha was merciless, held nothing back. Thor was done for in the first few minutes. Poor guy." Steve can't help but chuckle as the whole thing plays out through his head once again.

"You know, you and I should spar sometime." Tony suggests as Steve walks into the kitchen and sets him down on a bar stool.

"Oh yeah, why's that?" Steve walks over to the frig and begins searching through its contents.

"Well, because I'm a bad ass," Tony saunters up behind Steve and grabs his butt in both of his hands, making Steve jump, "and you have a great ass, so as I figure it, it should be a pretty amazing match."

"Is that how you figure it?" Steve looks at Tony over his shoulder. "And just where would we be sparring? On the mats? In the ring?"

"I was thinking more like my bed." Tony hints, making Steve blush and quickly look away.

"You know Tony, your moving awfully fast." Steve says, back still turned to Tony, as he continues to look through the contents of frig.

Tony immediately backs away from Steve, taking his hands off his ass, now very afraid that he's made Steve uncomfortable with his forwardness. Tony stands there for a minute, trying to think of something to say that won't damage their standing. Just when Tony goes to apologize and promise to take things slow, he's stopped by Steve's chuckling. Completely puzzled, he waits for Steve to say something.

"I was just picking on you, Tony. Chill out." Steve then turns around with a chicken breast and an assortment of veggies. "And I haven't forgotten about your diet. Go pop a squat on that stool over there while I make us some stir fry."

Steve turns and heads for the sink, grabbing a strainer for his vegetables. "But I like the view from here." Tony quips before walking over and plopping down on the stool abruptly.

Tony watches as Steve goes through the motions of cooking, from washing and cutting the chicken and vegetables, to frying it all together and seasoning it. Before he knew it, their meal was done and ready to eat. Without realizing it, Tony had begun to stare at Steve's hands in wonder, thinking how the same hands that can perform a heart stopping punch, can also be so nimble at mincing garlic.

Tony hops down from his stool and walks over to Steve as he's plating their food. He then grabs Steve's hand as he reaches for a fork, brings it to his mouth, and kisses his palm so tenderly. "You're amazing, you know that?" Tony whispers, not yet releasing the captured hand.

Steve is shocked by Tony's sudden heartfelt display of emotion, but quickly recovers and leans down to softly kiss his forehead. "_You're_ amazing." Steve whispers back.

"I know." Tony chuckles before stifling a yawn.

Steve just shakes his head and takes his hand back before he finishes serving their food. He then sets their plates down on the breakfast bar and pulls up a stool for himself, expecting Tony to go grab his own, and digs in. Tony walks over to the stool he had previously been occupying and drags it over, not caring enough to actually lift it up and carry it over.

Tony then sits down and stares at his food in disdain. He knew he was going to regret agreeing to eat anything put in front of him, but now he's forced to face his mortal enemy… asparagus. Still, he picks up his fork and stabs a piece of broccoli, slowly bringing it to his mouth.

"You're worse than a child, you know that? It's not going to kill you. Quite the opposite actually." Steve says between bites. "And you're not going to bed until you eat all of it, even the asparagus."

Tony quick shoots him a glare, realizing that Steve knew just how much he hated the damn stuff but put it in there anyways. Not wanting to be called a child again though, or a coward, Tony powers through it, eating everything on his plate. Silently, he admits to himself that it didn't taste THAT bad, not that he'd ever admit it out loud, willingly that is. Tony sits back on his stool and lets out a big yawn. What's the last time he slept? he ponders.

"Alright, off to bed with you." Steve says, scooting off his seat and nudging Tony to do the same.

He then grabs their plates and takes them to the sink, promising himself that he'll do all the dishes tomorrow morning. Seeing Tony look so dog tired, he sheppards him to his room and guides him to his bed. Tony falls onto the mattress and groans with contentment.

"I've missed you so much baby," Tony sweet talks his pillow, then rolls over and grabs the other one, "I've missed you too, hot stuff."

Steve laughs, glad to see Tony so happy and playful even when he is two seconds away from falling fast asleep. "Good night Tony." Steve turns to walk out of Tony's room and head for his own bed.

"Wait, don't go," Tony whines, too tired to care about pride. "This bed's too big for just me. I'll let you have hot stuff." Tony rolls back over to his second pillow.

Steve's caught off guard by Tony's sudden plea, and is equally shocked when he hears himself agree to it. "Alright, but we're just sleeping." Steve cautions, earning him a wicked chuckle from Tony.

Before he slips into bed, Steve takes off his jeans and socks, having seen Tony do the same, but opts to keep his shirt, and boxers, on. He then climbs into bed next to Tony and lays back onto his promised pillow. Before he even has the chance to get comfortable, Tony rolls over to him, cuddles up to his side, and falls fast asleep. Steve, having been caught off guard, ONCE AGAIN, slowly relaxes and before long falls into a deep and content slumber as well, holding Tony close to his side all through the night.

Or at least, most of the night…

**Author's Note: Alright, so this is how I chose to end this chapter. What I want to know is, what do you, as readers, want to happen next? Any ideas, suggestions, comments? What do you NOT want to happen next? I will definitely take any reviews I get into account and hopefully it should show in my next installment. And I promise I won't take another two months to update. That was a dreadful thing for me to do... *Sob* I'M SO SORRY!**


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